(Bridgewater) Dave Nichols and Nichols Farms, a seed stock operation in Bridgewater, Iowa, follow the “science-based” approach to beef production. The feedstock company striving for improved efficiency recently installed a feed bunk system for measuring individual feed intake and efficiency.
Nichols Farms Marketing Coordinator Ross Havens, says the new bunk system tracks individual feed conversions. He says the end goal is to follow the most efficient young bulls in the herd.
Havens says each bull on the test carries an individual electronic (EID) tag.
In addition to the SmartFeed bunks, Nichols Farm’s installed a water system that weighs the animals each time they come up for a drink.
Havens says Nichols Farms installed the new bunk system in October and started the first set of bulls on the new system on November 8. The final data on this first set of bulls will be out on January 1, 55-days after the start of the test.
